Pressure alleviator



March 6, 1934. 'w. P GUINN El AL 1,950,107

PRESSURE ALLEvIA'ro Filed July 30, 1952- iatented Mar. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PRESSURE ALLEVIATOR Welford r. Guinn and William w. Brooks,

League City, Tex.

Application July 30, 1932, Serial No. 626,737

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a pressure alleviator. An object of the invention is to provide apparatus for alleviating the pressure in a high pressure line leading from a pump. In the operation of a high pressure pump, the fluid being pumped is delivered into the high pressure line leading from the pump in surges with each delivery stroke bf the pump plunger and the attendant high pressure thus intermittently imparted to the pump fluid is liable to burst or cause leakage in the delivery line. It is the prime object of this invention to relieve the pressure line of the excessive pressures thus caused, whereby the shocks of the successive surges through the line may be absorbed and a more uniform delivery of fluid through the line assured.

A further object of the invention is to provide an alleviator connected into the high pressure delivery line from the pump and comprising an outer housing enclosing an outer chamber and an inner expansible receiver enclosing a chamber connected directly into the high pressure line with yieldable means between the outer housing and the expansible container capable of acting as a cushion between the outer housing and the expansible container and effective to absorb the excessive pressures of the successive surges of the fluid. pumped through the high pressure line leading from the pump.

A further object of the invention is to provide an alleviator of the character described arranged to absorb the excessive fluid pressures incident to the power stroke of the pump piston, thus conducing to a more emcient operation of the pump.

line leading from the pump. The numeral 3 designates an inclosed alleviator housing 3 inclosing therein the chamber 4 and within this chamber there is an expansible container 5, preferably bellows-like in construction. A reliei line 6 leads from the high pressure line 2 and enters the container and is equipped with a gate valve '7 whereby it may be closed and is also provided with a bleeder valve 8 for relieving the container of fluid that may be trapped therein when the valve '7 is closed. Suitably secured to the outer end of the container 5 there is.a disc-like guide 9 which is fitted loosely in the housing 3 and is provided with a plurality of openings 10,

for the free passage of fluid therethrough. This guide serves to hold the container 5 centered in the housing 3. A stem 11 is attached to the guide 9 and works through a stufllng box 12, in the outer end of the housing 3 and surrounding said stem and interposed between the guide and the outer end of the housing there is a coil spring 13. The outer end of the guide 11 serves as an indicator to indicate the range of expansion of the bellows-like container 5. The chamber 4 may be filled with a suitable compressed fluid such as air, gas, or other suitable fluid, which may be supplied from a compressor 14 through the pressure line 15. The line 15 is equipped with a back pressure valve 16 and a gate valve 17 for obvious purposes and the chamber 4 is provided with a bleeder valve 18 to relieve it of the pressure fluid that may be trapped therein. Connected into the chamber 4 there is also a conventional pressure gauge 19 to indicate the pressure in said chamber.

In case of excess pressure in the line 2 a part of the pumped liquid will pass through the relief line 6 into the chamber 26 within the container 5 and said container will be expanded against the surrounding pressure fluid and against the spring 13 thus relieving the successive shocks due to high pressures in the line 2. i

As the pressure decreases in the line 2, the container 5 will be contracted by the spring 13 and by the pressure of the surrounding fluid in the chamber 4.

The spring 13 is not indispensable but may be discarded if desired and on the other hand the strength or the spring 13 may be increased or a plurality of such springs may be employed and the pressure fluid in the chamber 4 dispensed with, it being only necessary to provide cushioning means against which the container 5 may expand and which will absorb the shocks of the successive high pressures to which said container is subjected.

The alleviator is illustrated as applicable to the high pressure discharge line of a pump but it is .applicable to any high pressure line which conducts fluid subject to surges or the pressure of which is subject to variations.

The drawing and description disclose what is now considered to be a preferred form of the invention by way of illustration only, while-the broad principle of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

What we claim is: 1. An alleviator comprising a housing having an enclosed chamber therein, a bellows in the housing forming an expanslble container. a relief line for connecting said container into a fluid conducting line, a disc-like guide secured to the outer end of said bellows and which fits looseLv in said housing and is provided with a plurality of openings, a stem attached to said guide, a stuifing box at the outer end of the housing through which said stem works, a coil spring surrounding said stem and interposed between said guide and the outer end or the 1' P. GUINN.

WELFORD Nil W. BROOKS. 

